SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP BRIDGES LEARNING GAP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 6, 2014

SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP BRIDGES LEARNING GAP

~Educational activities keep kids
learning through the summer months~

PONTE VEDRA BEACH– With school out for most
Florida students, many parents are seeking entertaining but productive ways
for their children to spend summer break. The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve is hosting numerous science-based activities and events for students.

"During the summer it is important to keep children educationally entertained and active," said Kevin Claridge, director
of DEP's Florida Coastal Office. "GTM Research Reserve's Education Learning
Center provides fun, affordable and educational opportunities for
students to help bridge the learning gap while they're out of the classroom."

Events
include summer camps, engaging educational lectures and exhibits. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection encourages students and parents to join in on these
fun-filled educational events.

The following activities
and events will be held at the GTM Research
Reserve.

Adventures in the Estuary Summer
Camp

June 9 – August 1; $140 per camper.

For
ages 7-12, these one-week
camps are a fun and educational way for your child to discover the importance
of the coastal community.

This
lecture series willprovide visitors an
opportunity to learn about leatherback,
loggerhead and green sea turtles found at the reserve.

National Pollinator Day

Saturday, June 21 (10 a.m. – 2
p.m.); Free event.

A
honey-inspired bake sale, native plant sale, honey-spinning demonstrations
and a lot of fun activities for the entire family round out the day. Special
guest speakers include Marc Minno, Ph.D., an expert on
endangered butterflies and their habitats, and Cory Stanley-Stah, Ph.D., a bee biologist and extension entomologist.

About the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve

The
GTM Research Reserve was established as a partnership between the state of
Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reserve is
one of 28 research reserves operating across the nation and one of three in the
state. Florida Coastal Office (FCO) manages the GTM Research Reserve along
with 41 aquatic preserves, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the
Coral Reef Conservation Program. FCO’s programs and activities are designed to
help Floridians better understand and conserve the state’s resources through
research, education and preservation. For more information on the GTM Research
Reserve visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/gtm/or www.gtmnerr.org. For more
information on DEP’s Florida Coastal Office, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal.